Warner Bros. Discovery’s NBA Hopes May Hinge on Elusive ‘Fourth Package’ of Games

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Al Michaels is going to have a voice in NBCUniversal‘s coverage of the Paris Olympics — but he perhaps won’t strike the tone that many might expect. The veteran sportscaster will deliver personalized recaps of the media company’s coverage, all of it tailored to fans’ specific interests. Each morning, NBC’s Peacock streaming hub will deliver a video summary of the last day of coverage, built out of clips and a high-quality AI re-creation of Michaels’ voice, which was trained using past appearances on NBC and matches his signature way of speaking.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large To paraphrase a long-running network slogan, “It’s Not Max. It’s HBO.” HBO and Max content CEO Casey Bloys is changing the delineation between what an “HBO show” and a “Max show” is, moving most of Max’s upcoming big-budget, tentpole Warner Bros. IP projects to under the HBO umbrella.

EXCLUSIVE: Stuff the British Stole, the Australian-Canadian doc series about the impact of British colonialism, is being remade as a six-part scripted heist caper.

It might be nearly 25 years later, but luckily for Ice Cube, there’s always another Friday around the corner.

Michaela Zee Warner Bros. Discovery is set to name Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary to former President Barack Obama, as its new communications chief, Variety has confirmed. The company is expected to make the announcement official on Monday, and is believed to have already informed WBD chief David Zaslav’s direct reports with the news.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s search for a new comms chief is over with the media giant expected to name Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary for former president Barack Obama, to the job, Deadline has learned.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Charles Barkley is blocking Warner Bros. Discovery‘s drive to the net.

Warner Bros. announced on Thursday that Trap, the latest thriller from two-time Oscar nominee M. Night Shyamalan, will go earlier, moving up a week from August 9 to August 2nd.

Brendan Kelly Liberty Global is buying a stake of Formula E from Warner Bros. Discovery, giving the media company controlling interest in the all-electric version of the motorsport. A publicly traded company led by billionaire John Malone, Liberty Global announced Thursday it is in the process of acquiring WBD’s 25% equity in Formula E, which is in its 10th racing season.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language film debut “The Room Next Door” for key international territories, including the U.K., Spain, Italy, Germany and Latin America. Starring Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton and John Turturro, “The Room Next Door” will also be released by Warner Bros.

The streaming war is over, but we are now in a streaming cold war as players work out which alliances they want to make and how to adapt to the new landscape, Warner Bros. Discovery international exec Jamie Cooke said during his keynote at the ongoing NEM Dubrovnik event in Croatia.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery is suddenly seeing red — clay, that is — in its bid to build out its sports portfolio. A new ten-year pact for the U.S.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Comscore said it expanded a partnership with Anzu, a company that specializes in in-game advertising, in a pact the company expects to help advertisers measure videogame advertising with more granularity. Anzu nis known for its ability to create ad units for gaming audiences and place them inside premium titles.

Ocean’s Eleven, Ted Lasso and the challenging state of the television business were all topics addressed by Channing Dungey, Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group, at the Banff World Media Festival today.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large It’s probably not the right time for a new version of “The West Wing,” but never say never, Warner Bros. TV Group chairman Channing Dungey told an audience on Monday at the Banff World Media Festival.

EXCLUSIVE: After a long run at NBCUniversal, writer, producer and director Alan Yang has signed a big overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group. Under the multi-year pact, he will develop and produce new TV projects exclusively for the studio.

As intrigue continues to swirl about its future role as an NBA broadcaster, Warner Bros Discovery‘s Turner Sports has secured U.S. rights to the French Open tennis tournament.

Two House Democrats again are expressing antitrust concerns about Venu, the upcoming sports streaming joint venture from Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery, and are seeking more answers from the companies.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The Warner Bros. Discovery sports portfolio has long been grounded in offerings from the major U.S. leagues.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor ESPN wants to cash in on the big audiences expected to tune into the NBA Finals, which kick off Thursday evening on ABC. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has a role to play. The rapper, actor and entrepreneur will surface at various times during coverage, largely in pre-taped segments that appear during the “NBA Countdown” pregame show, but also within some game telecasts.